The South Indian Cine Artistes’ Association, popularly known as the Nadigar Sangam, has announced a memorial programme for late veteran actor and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) chief Vijayakant. The memorial, which is open to all, will take place at Chennai’s Kamarajar Arangam at 6:00 pm on January 19. The announcement was made by Nadigar Sangam president Nasser through a short video message.
Vijayakant passed away on December 28 at MIOT Hospital in Chennai. He was 71 years old. The late actor had been struggling with prolonged pulmonary illness. He had also contracted COVID-19 and was on ventilator support in the days preceding his death.
In the video message released on Wednesday, January 17, Nasser says, “Vijayakant was the personification of hard work and an image of truth. He lent his voice to the people of Tamil Nadu. It was he who revived the Nadigar Sangam when it was struggling. He saw no hierarchies in who could grow close to him.”
From 2000 to 2006, Vijayakant had served as the Nadigar Sangam’s president, a time when he brought the association out of bankruptcy. The late actor, fondly known as Captain, organised ticketed cultural events at the time in Malaysia and Singapore alongside Kollywood stars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and others. Tirupur Subramaniam, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, had earlier told TNM that the proceeds from the events saved the Nadigar Sangam, which had been in such dire financial straits that its office buildings were about to be auctioned off.
Vijayakant was also the first to ensure that everyone at shooting spots, whether it was the lead actor or lightman, were served the same food. He is remembered for opening doors for many first time directors including RK Selvamani, whose second film starring Vijayakant, Captain Prabhakaran (1991), would go on to give the late actor his well-known epithet of Captain.